Team Marine Update

On October 30, Team Marine conducted another waste audit. They will be continuing these audit for around another 4 weeks. They’ll be conducting a total of six waste audits, three for the outside trash cans and three for the inside. As of now, Team Marine has only one audit remaining, for the inside waste. This waste audit focused on the waste inside the classrooms, similar to their most recent one on Nov. 9. Team Marine will be conducting waste audits and their data will contribute to the district’s initiative to help inform about basic statistics on SMMUSD recycling.  Ira Zimmerman (’20), a member of Team Marine, described their waste audit procedure. When they collected the waste on Oct. 30, the club sorted through and analyzed the waste on Oct. 31. “We first ask teachers if we can take the trash bags and recycling bags in the classroom, then we bring them back to Mr. Kay’s room to sort them,” Zimmerman said. Sandra Rigberg (’18), another member of Team Marine, explains how often they conduct these audits. “We originally planned to conduct audits every week, but then decided to conduct them once every three to four weeks after school on a Monday or Wednesday,” Rigberg said. Both Rigberg and Zimmerman agree on what they’re assuming these trash cans will entail.“I think there would be less lunch waste, more papers and overall less random waste,” Rigberg said. Zimmerman gives an overview of how the data given can affect Team Marine’s subsequent procedures. “If we could get the district to recycle, than a percentage of what we throw away would be recycled rather than put in a landfill,” Zimmerman said. Rigberg uses the data from the previous waste audit to infer how Team Marine will contribute to these new reforms. “In the last waste audit we found a lot of wrappers of the food we sell, so students could be expecting huge cutback on those, along with a cutdown on the trays they use to serve in the cafeteria. Another reduction is on the spork sets with the straw and napkin and plastic water bottles,” Rigberg said.Numerous waste audits are planned to occur in the near future. Not only will this waste audit give insight on the various trash thrown away inside classrooms, it will provide a baseline for establishing new reforms students are bound to see. Since Team Marine is the only club participating in the Samo audit, all students and clubs interested in getting involved are encouraged to attend Team Marine meetings held on Mondays and Wednesdays during lunch in I215.